The western oriole (''Oriolus brachyrynchus''), or western black-headed oriole, is a species of
bird in the family
Oriolidae that is native to Africa. The adult
upperparts are yellow-olive, and the
underparts are yellow in colour. It is rated as a species of
least concern on the
International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Endangered Species.
Taxonomy and systematics
The western oriole was first described in 1837 by the English
ornithologist
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...
William John Swainson
William John Swainson FLS, FRS (8 October 1789 – 6 December 1855), was an English ornithologist, malacologist, conchologist, entomologist and artist.
Life
Swainson was born in Dover Place, St Mary Newington, London, the eldest son of ...
.
Alternate names for the western oriole include the black-headed oriole (not to be confused with another species of the same name, ''
Oriolus larvatus'') and greenish-backed oriole. Two
subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
are recognized:
* West African black-headed oriole (''O. b. brachyrynchus'') –
Swainson, 1837: Found from Guinea-Bissau to Togo and Benin
* Cameroon black-headed oriole (''O. b. laetior'') –
Sharpe, 1897: Found from Nigeria to western Kenya, south-central Democratic Republic of Congo and northern Angola
According to the genetic data, the western oriole and the green-headed oriole (''
Oriolus chlorocephalus'') are
sister species.
Description
The western oriole measures in length, and weighs .
The adult
upperparts are yellow-olive in colour; the head to upper breast is black, and the periphery of the wings has a small white patch. It has a brownish pink
beak. The
underparts are yellow. The tail feathers are black and have broad yellow tips.
The juvenile has olive
upperparts. The head is olive, and the throat is streaked with yellow. It has a dusky
beak, and black streaked breast.
It has a variety of fluty vocalizations such as ', ', ', ', ', and ' which normally have detached notes, and are lower pitched than those of the
black-winged oriole (''Oriolus nigripennis''). It also emits a harsh '.
Distribution and habitat
The western oriole is native to the rainforests of Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Benin, and Ghana.
It is found in western and central Africa. It lives either individually or in pairs in canopies of lowland primary forests, secondary forests, forest clearings with
shrub
A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
s, and forest edges.
Status and conservation
Since 1988, the western oriole has been rated as a species of
least concern on the
IUCN Red List of Endangered Species
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biologi ...
. This is because it has a very large range and because its population is thought not to have declined by 30% over ten years or three generations. Although the population size has not been measured, it is thought to be more than the threshold required to warrant it a
vulnerable rating. Habitat loss is one reason for its population decline.
References
External links
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{{Taxonbar, from=Q1585741
western oriole
The western oriole (''Oriolus brachyrynchus''), or western black-headed oriole, is a species of bird in the family Oriolidae that is native to Africa. The adult upperparts are yellow-olive, and the underparts are yellow in colour. It is rat ...
Birds of the African tropical rainforest
western oriole
The western oriole (''Oriolus brachyrynchus''), or western black-headed oriole, is a species of bird in the family Oriolidae that is native to Africa. The adult upperparts are yellow-olive, and the underparts are yellow in colour. It is rat ...
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot